This invention relates to a document review apparatus and a document review system for reviewing documents by using a network. This also invention relates to a computer-readable recording medium in which programs for allowing a computer having a communication function to operate as such a document review apparatus are stored in.
Following recent advances in communication technology, there have been frequent attempts to process office work, performed by distributing printed materials through the post and the like, by transmitting and receiving electronic documents via a network. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 8-147381 discloses a review work support system for electronically processing reviews and approvals, relating to financial check documents in the financial business and the like, by using a network. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 8-46637 proposes an electronic mail forward processing method for realizing monitoring of documents by electronic mail.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 7-200552 disclose a joint document creation system for creating one document by aligning a plurality of computers which are connected by a communication network.
By using the technology described in the above patent applications, various types of processes and operations can be efficiently and reliably performed. For example, there is an operation which is generally termed xe2x80x9cdocument reviewxe2x80x9d which is performed in manufacturing and the like. A document review is used in publishing and correcting documents and the like relating to specifications and the like, and comprises firstly creating (revising) a document to be reviewed by using a word processor or the like. Furthermore, a report describing the route and purpose for publishing (correcting) the document is created. As shown schematically in FIG. 19, copies of the report are distributed by mail to relevant departments. The departments, which the copies have been distributed to, review the contents of the copies and send their replies regarding the document review to the creator of the document (review instigator). The review instigator analyzes the received multiple replies and revises the document based on the result of this analysis, thereby producing the official document.
By applying the technology described in the above patent applications to the part of this document review where mail is used, the document review can be carried out by rapidly.
However, the system of such a constitution is nothing more than a system in which the time required for receiving written articles (documents) is electronically shortened. Therefore, there is a demand for a system which can efficiently realize document reviews.
Therefore, it is a first object of this invention to provide a document review apparatus which can construct a network system for carrying out document reviews with extreme efficiency, and a computer-readable recording medium which programs for allowing a computer to operate as the document review apparatus are stored in.
Furthermore, it is a second object of this invention to provide a document review system wherein document reviews can be carried out with extreme efficiency in a plurality of apparatuses which are connected via a network.
The document review apparatus according to one aspect of this invention comprises a communication unit connected to a network for performing communication with other devices; a memory unit; a determination unit which determines, based on information received from said communication unit, whether the information is information holding a review result of a reviewed form to be reviewed; a storing control unit which stores information, which has been determined by the determination unit to be information holding a review result of a reviewed form, as review result information in said memory unit; and a creating unit which creates a single review result information based on the review result information when a predetermined number of review result informations have been stored in said memory unit.
The document review apparatus according to the above-mentioned aspect has a function for collecting review result information which holds a review result relating to a reviewed form via the network, and a function for creating a single review result information from the collected review result informations. Therefore, when the document review apparatus is connected to the network, it can review documents with extreme efficiency, shortening not only the time required to receive the document which the review result is written in, but also the time required to analyze the document.
The document review apparatus according to another aspect of this invention comprises a communication unit connected to a network for performing communication with other devices; a first memory unit which stores a reviewed form which is to be reviewed by a plurality of reviewers; a second memory unit; a determination unit which determines, based on information received from said communication unit, whether the information is information holding a review result of a reviewed form to be reviewed; a storing control unit which stores information, which has been determined by the determination unit to be information holding a review result of a reviewed form, as review result information in said second memory unit; a creating unit which creates statistical data relating to the review result information when a predetermined number of review result information from the plurality of reviewers have been stored in said second memory unit; and an updating unit which updates the contents of the reviewed form stored in said first memory unit by using the statistical data created by said creating unit.
The document review apparatus according to the above-mentioned aspect has a function for collecting review result information which holds a review result relating to a reviewed form via the network, a function for creating statistical data by statistically processing the collected review result information, and a function for updating the contents of the reviewed form by using the created statistical data. Therefore, when the document review apparatus is connected to the network, it can perform extremely efficient document review, shortening not only the time required to receive a document which the review result is written in, but also the time required to analyze the document.
The document review apparatus may further comprise a notification unit which notifies the plurality of reviewers that a reviewed form to be reviewed is stored in said first memory unit; and a transmission unit which, when information having a predetermined format and comprising address information has been received by said communication unit, uses said communication unit to transmit information which corresponds to the reviewed form stored in said first memory unit to a device identified by said address information.
When the document review apparatus having this constitution is connected to the network, the document review can be completed by some of the reviewers (e.g. reviewers who are not directly involved in authorizing the contents of the reviewed form) without extracting the reviewed form through the internet. This is because the reviewers who are not directly involved in authorizing the contents of the reviewed form receive notification from the notification unit, and are able to transmit the review result information. As a result, when using the document review apparatus of this invention, the document review can be carried out with efficient use of limited network resources.
The document review apparatus may further comprise a display unit for displaying textual information, and an input unit for inputting commands. The updating unit comprises a display control unit which allows said display unit to display the contents of the reviewed form stored in said first memory unit in a format enabling an update result using statistical data created by said creating unit to be understood; and a contents updating unit which updates the contents of the reviewed form stored in said first memory unit based on a command which is input via said input unit while said display control unit is controlling the display. Moreover, in the case where the display unit is added, the document review apparatus according to the second aspect of this invention can be realized by adding a second display control unit which allows said display unit to display a graph based on the statistical data created by said creating unit.
That is, the constitution of the document review apparatus maybe such that the reviewed form is not completely revised automatically, but by dialog after confirmation from the operator. Then, to simplify the confirmation operation, the document review apparatus may be configured to display a graph showing the contents of statistical data of the review result information.
When a plurality of the document review apparatuses of this invention are connected together via a network to construct a system, it is possible to obtain a document review system wherein extremely efficient document review is performed by the document review apparatuses.
Of course, the document review apparatus according to this invention can be configured (realized) as a special apparatus, but it can also be realized by storing programs for allowing a computer to operate as a document review apparatus having the functions described above in a computer-readable recording medium.